Photo by: Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has asked owners of mothballed natural gas and coal plants to restart their facilities by December 1 in an effort to keep the grid stable during the winter.
The request comes after an analysis by ERCOT projected a 20% chance of a grid emergency this winter and a 14% chance of blackouts in December during the highest-risk hour of 8 a.m. In the winter, the time of greatest concern for the grid will be as the sun comes up, people and businesses begin their day and solar power has yet to ramp up, according to ERCOT.
The Texas grid operator is looking to add up to 3,000 megawatts of generation – enough to power about 600,000 Texas homes during peak demand – which would reduce the probability of a grid emergency this winter to less than 10%. Many energy experts were surprised by ERCOT's unusual request, with some skeptical that the grid operator will be able to procure 3,000 megawatts of electricity generation in two months.
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Photo by: Staff File Photo
To get ready for winter power demand, ERCOT asked CPS Energy this week if it would reopen a coal-fired plant it closed nearly five years ago.
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